Unity Week starts today at Camas High School after plans for the initial weeklong celebration of diversity were pushed back a few months.
The original Unity Week was scheduled to run from Dec. 11 to 15 but was delayed due to timing and the administration’s desire to be more involved.
Tim Fox, associate principal, said he and the students organizing the event met several times in the last few months to discuss the message and purpose of the week.
“They’re far more ready than they were earlier in the year,” Fox said.
He said the goal of the week is to promote diversity in the school community, and not just to illustrate how groups are different, but also how they are similar.
Every day will have a different theme. Different students groups will hand out information and put on events during lunch and after school.
• Today is Global Action, organized by International Human Rights Club, International Club, UNICEF.
• Tuesday is LGBTQ+ Visibility, organized by Gay-Straight Alliance.
• Wednesday is Gender Equality, organized by Girls Who Code and DECA Girls Represent.
• Thursday is Religious Awareness, organized by Muslim Student Association and Christian Student Association.
• Friday is Unity Day, where all the clubs will work together.
The students will also have an ongoing donation fundraiser for Rose Haven, a women’s homeless shelter in Portland.
Fox said he pushed the students to go beyond handing out information. He challenged them to think about their favorite classes, and asked if the teachers should lecture or present the curriculum in a more interactive way.
So now the students will have a few guest speakers during the week, and are planning games and activities to engage with their peers.
After the announcement of Unity Week a few months back, Fox said, he heard from a few parents who were concerned. They asked him about who was putting on the week, thinking the school and/or district might be “pushing an agenda,” Fox said.
“The kids are planning everything,” he said. “I look at the plans and sign off.”
Some of the students organizing Unity Week also organized a walkout at the school on March 14, where 500 students walked out for 17 minutes to honor the victims of the Parkland, Fla., school shooting.
“What we’re starting to see here is a rise in student activism and a desire to be part of the process and have their voices be heard,” Fox said.
Reason for the delay
On Nov. 7, a few weeks before Unity Week was scheduled to start, a group not affiliated with Camas High School waved religious signs outside the school and yelled at students through a megaphone.
At the time, many students and the district thought the protesters were there because the drama department was performing “The Laramie Project.” The drama portrays the fatal beating of Matthew Shepard, a University of Wyoming student who was targeted because he was gay.
It turned out to be more of a coincidence, as the same group as popped up at other schools around the county. However, there was tension at Camas, with some students wanting to show their support for the play and for their peers in the LGTBQ community who felt attacked and some who felt uncomfortable, Fox said at the time.
Others mistakenly thought Unity Week was being put on in response to the protesters, even though the event was held last year when it was known as Acceptance Week.
“Moving Unity Week to the spring isn’t in fear of opposition or controversy against our event, because that will always be present regardless of when it is hosted,” Abigail Jiang, one of the organizing students, wrote in an email when the delay was announced.
With tension at the school and confusion about the mission, the students organizing the event and Fox agreed to push it back. Fox said they’ve used the last few months to improve Unity Week and work on strengthening its message, as well as prepare for anyone in the community who might have questions about it or not support their efforts.
“You know not everyone will agree with the message,” Fox said. “The focus has always been what binds us. With the 2,200 kids who are here, the 200 staffers who are here, we’re a small town. In a small town, not everyone is going to think the same. It’s important to still respect everyone’s point of view.”
